Saudi Arabia: Riyadh Season attracts 10 million visitors in 50 days
Entertainment and tourist festival goers promised further exciting events
Cairo: Fifty days after its kickoff, the Riyadh Season, a flagship Saudi entertainment and tourist festival, attracted 10 million visitors with its diverse calendars, organisers have said.
The fourth edition of the Riyadh Season was unveiled on October 28 with specular shows including an epic fight that saw British boxer Tyson Fury outrivaling former world champion in mixed martial arts Francis Ngannou in a showdown dubbed the “battle of the baddest”.
The current edition of the festival features a variety of choices for visitors.
A food festival, part of the Riyadh Season, is set to begin Thursday (today) with the participation of 100 premium mobile food stores.
On December 26-27, the Riyadh Season Tennis Cup for Men and Women will be held. On December 29, the Saudi capital will host the Turkish football Super Cup final.
This year’s Boulevard World zone, a major feature of the festival, introduces new entertainment experiences after its space has increased by over 40 per cent.
The Season’s multitude of events are spread over 12 venues in Riyadh, featuring concerts by world celebrities, theatrical shows, a football museum and restaurants serving a variety of mouth-watering international cuisine.
New venues for this year’s edition include the state-of-the area Boulevard Hall set up on an area of 200 ,000 square metres and can accommodate up to 40,000 visitors at one time.
The season also enthralls visitors with the “Wonder Garden”, a super entertainment city boasting 70 different games and global gardens.
In September, head of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority (GEA) Turki Alalsheikh, said they expect 10-12 million visitors at this year’s Riyadh Season.
He added that 40 per cent of the anticipated revenue from the event has already been achieved through sponsorship deals.
Launched in 2019, the Riyadh Season is meant to turn the city into a global entertainment and tourist destination.
The second edition of the festival kicked off in October 2021 after it was suspended the previous year due to the global pandemic. The third was unveiled in October 2022.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has sought to boost its entertainment industry as part of efforts to diversify its oil-reliant economy.
In May 2016, the kingdom created GEA, a state agency that has since sponsored a slew of stellar concerts, stage shows and festivals.